Target Every Workout and Each Meal

First set a long-term objective: your ultimate outcome. What kind of body do you ultimately want to have? Let your imagination run wild and urge to dream. Don’t listen to anyone who says it can’t be done! You can’t afford to associate with negative people who always strive to tear you down. If you really want it badly and you’re willing to work for it, then go ahead and set the goal. Next, set a one-year goal. A one-year lose belly fat objective is especially important if you have a lot of work to do.

For example, if your primary target is to lose one hundred pounds, that’s at least a twelve-month project. Don’t expect or even attempt to do it any faster. Possibly the most important goal you can have at any time is your three-month goal. Three months is the great time frame for your short-term goal because a lot can happen in three months. Most people can completely transform their bodies in 90 days.

A sensible and realistic 90-day aim would be to lose up to 6% body fat and 12 to 24 pounds. The three-month goal is important because long-term targets don’t have any urgency. A one-year goal is so distant, you may find that you tend to procrastinate more without the awaiting deadline. There’s a law in psychology called “Parkinson’s Law,” which says, “A task takes as long as there is time to do it.” In a different way stated, “Work always expands to fill the time allowed.”

Deadlines are motivating. With no time pressure, you’ll rationalize missing workouts or cheating on your diet: Your brain will keep saying, “You have abundance of time, so missing this one workout won’t matter.” With a deadline right in front of you, you’ll know that every workout and every meal counts. You also require to have weekly goals to let you know if you’re on track. Weekly goals provide direct feedback to tell you whether you’re moving in the right direction.

Each week you should weigh yourself and have your body composition considered with skinfolds. If you’re getting the results you want, you simply continue doing what you’ve been doing. If you’re not seeing the results you want, you can direct adjust your training or nutrition to get yourself back on course. (See chapter four for more information on how to chart your growth and adjust your approach). To reach your weekly, three-month, twelve-month and ultimate lose belly fat targets, you must develop good habits every day.

You develop good habits by setting daily action goals and working on them repetitively until they become as routine as brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Ninety-nine percent of the actions you take every day are routine. Write out a list of daily goals, to-do’s and habits you want to develop – good daily habits that serve you – habits like eating small, regular meals, cutting down on sugar, getting up early, Making your meals in advance for each day and so on.

Long-term targets are important, but they can be intimidating and discouraging if you don’t have small daily goals, too. If you only watch the “big picture,” it can sometimes be unsettling to realize how much farther you have to go. There’s an old saying about tackling big tasks: “The only way to consume an elephant is one bite at a time.” When your larger goals are broken down into smaller parts and you focus on each little step one at a time, you won’t be besieged. “By the mile it’s a trial, by the yard it’s hard, but by the inch it’s a cinch.” Take baby steps. Each step you take, no matter how small, will give you a feeling of accomplishment and keep your momentum going.